Friday, January 22, 1999

By JOE ADCOCK
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
THEATER CRITIC

A bunch of adjectives starting with "en . . . " come to mind here: enchanting, enthralling, entrancing. And then comes an adjective beginning with "un . . . ": unfinished.

"Expressions of the Spirit," a fantasy drama receiving its premiere production at the Empty Space Theatre, is uniquely engaging (there's another "en . . . " adjective). Performed by the virtuoso singing, dancing, miming, acting, tumbling and instrumentalizing UMO Ensemble, the show constitutes the most vivid imaginable recounting of uncanny little fairy tales.

And mostly "Expressions" is enchanting, . . . etc. But as director/writer Eddie Levi Lee and his five creator/performers move into the show's final moments, invention fails. The heroine is prey to an angry three-headed, six-legged demon. And then suddenly . . . what? What happened? How did she get free? And about those three golden hairs that look like three mutant parsnips: what good are they? What's the big deal with the golden hairs?

Rather than wrapping up, "Expressions" falls apart at the end. But until those last few moments it is almost pure delight.

Certainly as the heroine -- a princess on a quest -- Martha Enson is an endearing incompetent. She is fearful and forgetful and lacking in self-esteem. But with the help of creepy underground creatures, a crabby little old lady, a magic cloak, a snotty fox, two sulky musicians and a crabby big old lady, the princess prevails. She procures the golden hairs that look like mutant parsnips. And that does something or other, something indefinite, but it's "good" and it has to do with her father, an ailing king.

THEATER REVIEW Expressions of the Spirit: (Inspired by) Tales of the Brothers Grimm. Devised by Eddie Levi Lee and the UMO Ensemble. Empty Space Theatre, 3509 Fremont Ave. N. Through Feb. 13. Tickets $16-$25, $10 for children 14 and under, pay what you can Feb. 10; 206-547-7500.

Kevin Joyce ails beautifully as the king. He dodders hilariously. Costumes by Regan Haines include a crown that resembles London in the year 1500 -- gilded. With a heavy hat like that, who wouldn't dodder?

Besides having a good-but-simple daughter, the ailing king (just like King Lear) has two bad-but-crafty daughters. One daughter is vain. The other is hypocritical. Played by Esther Edelman and Janet McAlpin, these princesses are real pills. In case we didn't notice how yucky they are, Haines dresses them in elaborate, elegant gowns that are all front, all facade. The bad princess' backsides -- well, their leotards -- are there for all the world to see when the girls twist and turn, which they do a lot since they are so crooked and devious.

Besides having to cope with those pesky sisters, much as Cinderella had to, our heroine must confront three bullying giants. Enson has designed grotesque/funny puppets and masks to enhance the show. Nowhere do they make a more amusing contribution than in the giant scene. The giants act like ostriches on Ecstasy. One is all eyes, another is all ears and the third is all nose. All three are all neck.

Besides being fearful, our heroine is also what used to be called a "woman who loves too much." She falls for a "handsome prince," a hilariously fatuous and preening and insecure Kevin Joyce. (All five UMO members play multiple roles.) The whole wretched romance is orchestrated by the prince's mother, an Evil Witch.

Haines designed scenery as well as costumes. Her set amazingly accommodates palaces, forests, caves and a mountain covered with jewels as big as bean bags. In fact I think the jewels are bean bags -- covered with sequins.

Helping to create atmospheric effects that range from scary to farcical are lighting by Timothy Wratten and music and sound devised by Joyce and Bradley McDevitt.

Sometimes the language in "Expressions" gets a bit gassy. Efforts to underline spiritual or psychological significance occasionally come out sounding like Joseph Campbell or Carl Jung insisting that simple little fairy tales are, for the truly enlightened, actually complex and big. That may be true. But artists are best advised to show it and not tell it.

Some of the murkier expressions in "Expressions" have to do with the moon. And somehow the ingenious Haines lost her inspiration when called upon to show the moon. What we see looks like an albino beach ball.

Despite rough patches that sometimes give "Expressions" an unfinished quality, the production is genuinely (to get back to the "en . . . " words) an endearing endeavor.

Friday, January 22, 1999